Mike Wallen lost his reelection bid as mayor after Paul Knier won the election this fall. Wallen served on the Big Lake City Council for 10 years, and as mayor for two. 

Serving as Mayor

When the former mayor Raeanne Danielowski was elected to the Sherburne County Board of Commissioners two years ago, Wallen stepped in to finish out her mayoral term. At the time, the other board members were either inexperienced or uninterested in the position.

“I wasn’t looking to be the mayor at that time,” Wallen said. 

But he ended up enjoying the job enough to run for reelection.

Wallen said the best part about serving as mayor was working with the people, and being a part of something bigger than himself. 

Decreasing Debt

Wallen said his biggest accomplishment while in office was decreasing the debt load from $76 million to $20 million, which would have been difficult for any representative to handle. When he was first elected to the council 10 years ago, the city was in a horrible financial state. The city had been borrowing money from its own enterprise fund in an effort to avoid raising taxes. Wallen, and the rest of the council at the time, realized something had to change. They had to raise the tax levy in order to dig themselves out of the giant mess. 

This was very difficult, because this happened just after the housing bubble of 2008, and citizens were already having a hard time, but it needed to be done. In the years before this decision, the city’s levy had either gone down or stayed the same, all while the city continued to borrow itself into a hole.

Hiring New Staff

Another accomplishment Wallen had while in office was hiring almost every city staff member still working today, with the exception of Gina Wolbeck, city clerk.

“I can’t take credit for hiring everyone,” Wallen admitted, “But I was involved with the process and I had the brains to know how to help pick the best people for the job.”  

Wallen raves about the city staff, and how they’ve all gone above and beyond to make the city a better place. 

For example, he spoke about a brilliant idea from Finance Director Deb Wegeleben. Most cities receive funding from the state as local government aid. Most cities budget for this funding and depend on it. But one year the state decided to withhold the funding, throwing many local governments through a loop. Wegeleben had the idea to not budget for the funding any longer. This way, if the state decides to withhold the funding again in the future, the city will not be unable to make ends meet. But when they do get the funding, they can save it in the bank and budget the money in the future. 

Wallen says Wegeleben’s idea has paid off in spades, and it sets up future councils for success.

Improving Quality of Life

Wallen also enjoyed implementing new cultural projects, such as the music in the park night every week in the summertime at Lakeside Park, and improving the trails systems.

“Everything I did while in office, I did it in the interest of improving public safety or quality of life,” Wallen stated. He’s certain the council will continue to make their decisions this way.

Wallen said his father always told him that when he borrowed something, he always had to bring it back in better condition. Wallen feels sure he’s been able to do so.

Retirement

Wallen will not be seeking office again. As sad as he is to go, he said he will not miss the stress that came with the job. And he’s looking forward to staying out of the spotlight, at least for a little while.

Now, he’ll spend his time working on vehicles with his car club. He’ll also be starting a rock band with some of his buddies. He and his wife are debating whether he should grow his hair out to a ponytail like a true rock legend.

“I cannot thank you enough for putting up with me,” Wallen said to the staff and council members he’ll be leaving behind.

Mike Wallen has promised an exclusive interview with the Patriot once his music career takes off.